Today: B.B. King is 87

From Wikipedia:

Birth name Riley King
Also known as B.B. King

King of the Blues

Born September 16, 1925 (age 87)
Origin Itta Bena, Mississippi, United States
Genres Blues, soul blues, jazz, blues rock, electric blues, rhythm and blues, soul
Occupations Musician, songwriter, producer
Instruments Vocals, guitar, piano
Years active 1949–present
Labels Geffen/Interscope/Universal,Bullet Records, RPM Records,Crown, ABC, MCA,Reprise/Warner Bros.,Virgin/EMI
Associated acts Bobby BlandEric Clapton,PappoBig Krit

 

Riley B. King (born September 16, 1925), known by the stage name B.B. King, is an American songwriter, vocalist, and famed blues guitarist.

Rolling Stone magazine ranked him at No. 6 on its list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time. and No. 17 in Gibson’s Top 50 Guitarists of All Time. According to Edward M. Komara, King “introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending and shimmering vibrato that would influence virtually every electric blues guitarist that followed.” King was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. He is widely considered one of the most influential blues musicians of all time, because of this he is often nicknamed ‘The King of Blues’. He is also known for performing tirelessly throughout his musical career appearing at 250-300 concerts per year until his seventies. In 1956 it was noted that he appeared at 342 shows, still at the age of 86 King appears at 100 shows a year.

Over a period of 63 years, King has played in excess of 15,000 performances.

The Thrill Is Gone (Live at Montreux 1993):

Everyday I have the Blues:

How Blue Can You Get (Legends of Rock ‘n’ Roll):

Album of the day – Live At The Regal (1965):


 

Other September 16:

  • Marc Bolan (born Mark Feld; 30 September 1947 – 16 September 1977) was an English singer-songwriter, guitarist and poet. He is best known as the frontman of glam rock group T. Rex.
  • Kenneth Thomas “Kenney” Jones (born 16 September 1948, London Hospital, Whitechapel, East London) is a veteran English rock drummer best known for his work in the Small Faces and the Faces, for which he was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2012, and The Who.
  • Ronald Edward Blair (born September 16, 1948, in San Diego, California) is the original bassist for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. He was the band’s bassist from 1976 to 1981. In 2002, he returned to the group after a 21-year hiatus, replacing his own replacement, the late Howie Epstein.

2 thoughts on “Today: B.B. King is 87”

  1. Thanks for this great post!
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    Have a nice and happy B.B. King birthday!

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